A lovely little haven one mile west of the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells and Tunbridge Wells Common, Rusthall is hidden among the trees and surrounded by rocky sandstone outcrops complete with some lively village shops.
A village with two centres, one developed around Toad Rock in the 1800s, the Victorian era, as a summer holiday resort. The other is Lower Green the oldest part of the hamlet dating from around the 8th century.
“There was indeed an excellent cold bath near Rust-Hall Common”
…enthused Paul Amsinck Esq in his book ‘Tunbridge Wells and its Neighbourhood’ published in 1810. The Amsinck family were illustrious merchants with worldwide business connections so this is praise indeed.
The name of the village almost certainly derives from the naturally occurring rusty coloured spring waters. Cold water baths were built from the early 1700s to make the most of the ‘rusty, curative’ waters and for entertainment purposes before the Chalybeate Spring became popular.
Now only the foundations of the bath house are apparent in Happy Valley which is situated below the Hundred Steps in the gardens of the Beacon Hotel on Tea Garden Lane (just outside Rusthall). Fortunately, abandonment has meant the wildlife has thrived and now you can see important species like butterflies and hoverflies as well as beautiful wild flowers.
Back in the village, little historic cottages on the old London to Brighton coaching road can be admired from the pavement opposite the Red Lion pub. This public house was first licensed in 1415!
The Grade II listed church of St Paul’s, nearby in Denny Bottom was built in 1849. It is open to all visitors and a fine example of Victorian ecclesiastical architecture.
A “little known treasure”
Rusthall Common is a glorious place to explore and ramble too.
There are many sandstone rock outcrops that were lovingly named by the Victorians as Elephant, Toad Rock, Cheesewring, amongst others and are designated by Natural England as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Explore the Surrounding Area
There are frequent bus services to and from Royal Tunbridge Wells via bus number 281. Salomon’s Estate is a leisurely 40-minute walk or 5 minute drive. Be sure to explore the village of Speldhurst, via the footpath that forms part of the Tunbridge Wells Circular. Read more about this walk in our pub walks section. Another enjoyable walk from Rusthall is to High Rocks, spot the Spa Valley Railway rushing through the countryside. On selected days the train stops at the High Rocks Inn.